Men for Rent
by MidnightBloom15
Summary: Take a couple of drunk people, a daring contest and the weirdest site ever where you can randomly rent people. What do you get? A tangled story where a rosette finds herself the queen bee of a dark-haired brooding fellow. Oh, did I mention they work together?
1. Chapter 1

Men for Rent

~Chapter 1~

I do not own Naruto. I'm just stealing him. There are some R-rated themes developed in here, so be sure you're 15 or more. Otherwise, well, do what you want, I warned you.

* * *

Living the life of a grown-up was something everyone expected of her to do in the most grandiose way possible. Slender, with some sort of pretty features plastered on her face and, of course, one big, complicated brain hidden behind her slightly larger than normal forehead were said, ever since she was a baby, to be what would supposedly make her one successful woman in life.

It didn't help the fact that her mother kept telling her that there was one strange dream she had the night before giving birth to her, with her child as one grand Caesar being as powerful as gods, subduing everyone and everything. Talk about influential parents… Although it did seem possible, especially for her 12 year old self, to become someone powerful, someone great, that false assumption indeed took a drastic end the moment she entered college. Ah, sweet reality, how cruel and sour you can be at times…

Despite the fact that she did live in a most realistic way, open-mindedly and safe, life hit her the hardest as soon as she faced the thousands of people like her, with dreams constantly pumped in their minds and way too much energy to soon be consumed. At that moment, it didn't seem she was as unique as everyone made her believe and that very realisation was going to have such an effect on her, that it would make her life have one of the biggest turning points till then. A tragic one even.

_'Oh well, it's not like I died or anythinig…'_ the thought crossed our pink-haired missus' mind, temporarily lost in those recent, painful memories.

She took another Cheetos from the huge bag next to her and munched it slowly, savouring so to say its crunchiness while staring blankly at the computer screen in front of her. Finishing her treat, she smudged the remaining cheese powder on her sweater and started typing feverishly, her fingers blurring over the keyboard in her nth attempt to fix her program. As she typed the last character, she stopped in her tracks and held her breath as she finally pressed 'Enter'.

"Warnings: 0; Errors: 1." Of course.

"Where the hell is it!?" She said, already on the verge of putting her fist through the monitor. She pushed the keyboard as far away from her as possible and hit her forehead on the now perfectly clean table.

"Why doesn't it work?..." She whined, her voice muffled in her second cheesy treat in that half a minute. She sighed heavily, too tired to think, too bored to act accordingly. It was almost lunch time and even after a day and a half of non-stop working on her project, the things didn't seem to settle down at all.

"That's it. I need a break," our irritated, dark-circled friend said, making one swift rotation in her chair and getting up to go to the bathroom. Her joints cracked soundly, making her shiver slightly at the sudden relief going through her stiff limbs. She passed by her coworkers, whom she didn't know the least even after 3 years of working in that enterprise, and marched directly towards the restrooms, her pace having a slight limp as her leg had again fallen asleep from too much sitting on the chair. She pushed the door to the women's bathroom with all her might, hoping of one great, memorable entrance in that not so sanitary place, where every single person had to do her best in order to stand out in the small society of the company. That, of course, implied fine make-up doing, sweet perfume, no-sound peeing and, most of all, no farting. If you respected those basic rules, you could say you were on the right path to becoming at least noticeable to the other female employees, rules which weren't even the least respected by the tired-looking rosette now trying to enter the bathroom.

Her attempt to make her entering seem impressive was a complete failure in the end, as the heavy door specially put to keep away perverts, was, well, so heavy, that everyone looked constipated every time they tried to open it, even though their problem might have been the other way around. She went directly to the sinks and raped the faucet until the water was as cold as ice. She tied her hair up, putting every bothering strand of hair into place, and washed her face with plenty of freezing water, splashing it on her eyes and cheeks and bringing back colour to her skin. Pressing the faucet close, she looked up in the widely spread mirror in front of her, staring intently at her features. A girl of medium height looked back at her, her emerald gaze as empty as its owner's. She was fair-skinned, her acne having long disappeared since she hit puberty. The lean, curved body hidden under the loose hoodie she was wearing might have made a lot of her female co-workers boil in envy, giving how much food she stuffed in her mouth during the day, but that wasn't the case. Having ice-cold water splashed on her face made her look fresh and bright, the sudden rush of blood to her now rosy cheeks hiding in one way or another the dark circles under her eyes that didn't exist at all three year ago. She smiled a toothy grin at her reflection, revealing two straight rows of pearly white teeth along a pair of dimples marking the corners of her mouth. Despite her seemingly outrageous appearance, she was one clean human being when it came to her face.

She took a glimpse at her bathroom companions beside her. Two of them were eagerly trying to cover the imperfections of their neck ('What the heck?!'), while the other one was contouring her big, full lips with one of the reddest lipsticks she'd ever seen. Seeing the view next to her, she couldn't stop herself from shaking her head in disagreement.

_'At least my David doesn't expect me to wear a mask all the time. He loves me the way I am, without reddened fat smudged on my lips every day.'_

As she said that to herself, she watched as the young, way too curvaceous lady with red lips clicked her stilettos out of the restroom, leaving behind an indeed thrilling trail of perfume.

Our girl's mind didn't get to wonder too much as the music coming from the speaker on the hallway suddenly stopped, only to be replaced by the annoyingly high alarm ringing now through the whole building. Having been a scaredy-cat all her life, the rosette didn't give it any second thoughts and ran for her life, rushing in the main lobby without thinking.

"Damn! My phone!", she realised as she was going down the stairs towards the exit. She hesitated for a moment but, in the end, she turned around and rushed towards the bathroom to retrieve her most beloved friend. She opened the first door she spotted, not really knowing where the bathroom was in that rush of adrenaline she was feeling. Opening the door, she saw it wasn't the room she was looking for, but she still stopped in her tracks. A somewhat bewildered expression was now painted on her face seeing the whole ordeal going on in there, but, deep down, she had actually expected it sooner. Right in front of her there was no one else than the red-lipped woman from before, kissing passionately with what seemed like… yes, with what seemed like David, her supposedly loyal boyfriend.

The two stopped the moment she entered the room, him being or pretending to be surprised and guilty, while the girl showing a most unpleasant grimace on her face.

"What do you think you're doing? Get out of here! Don't you see we're busy?" she said in an irritated voice, which turned into liquid silk towards the end as she sent a smouldering gaze towards her passionate lover.

"Sakura, I.."

"No, it's okay. Please…don't mind me." the pink-haired said, turning around in utmost silence and closing the door behind her. She walked away, the alarm ringing powerfully all around her barely reaching her ears to make her realise why she had returned. After getting her phone back, though, the alarm stopped, a message being sent through the speakers saying it was a mistake and that they shouldn't worry about anything at all.

"Well wasn't that a waste of energy…" Sakura said out loud while dragging herself to her office. Entering the room, she saw her co-workers still slightly ruffled after the sudden announcement of danger, seeing the tons of random things lying on the ground and their owners slowly getting out from beneath their little cramped desks. She walked pass them, the two parts ignoring each other as usual, and she went straight to her desk.

There wasn't anything out of place on it, she noticed, only a framed photo which had fallen in the commotion which had happened not more than a minute before. She grabbed it and straightened it swiftly, her eyes locked on the photo that was actually framed: it was no other than a picture of her and David on their first date one year ago. She wasn't that shocked the moment she saw him loving another woman, as she had known he had cheated on her more than once, but it still affected her…deeply… Tears started gathering in her forest green eyes, but their flow was stopped immediately as it started as she took the photo, ripped it in tons of pieces and threw it in the garbage, not wanting to see it again. She was going to be okay. She would pass that embarrassment, that failure, in the same way she had passed all her failures till then. It wasn't a big deal for her, she could handle…

She pulled a small smile and tried to distract herself from thinking about it by doing a refresh to her programme.

"Warnings: 0; Errors: programme is ready to roll."

"Haha, it works. And I don't even know why," she said and started crying heavily.

* * *

A tall, slender figure was passing the never-ending crowd of people enjoying their evening out on the streets. With black hair reflecting the pale blue light of the streets, strikingly fair skin that was in so much more contrast with a pair of large onyx eyes, his presence could be immediately noticed, especially by the female pedestrians under the age of 30, who kept fluttering their eyelashes at him whenever they got the chance to. Unfortunately for them, though, Sasuke was completely ignoring them.

He was walking the street in a most relaxed way possible, a peaceful smile breaking from time to time the inexpression of his face. A cooling wind was blowing, bringing the exotic smell of sea towards him. Twinkling stars shone bright on the still slightly bluish sky above him, making his daze turn dreamy and still. . .Her.

HE broke up with HER and YES! He was finally free!

Going on blind dates arranged by his beloved mother was a chore, especially when his partners were supposedly suitable for him only in terms of bank accounts. That was, indeed, the worst relationship he had ever been in, almost to the point that it made him wish to be a bachelor all his life. Actually, he did want to be alone and not get involved in such complicated romantic issues, but his brother had to run away across the globe and leave him as the only 'heir' to the company. Perfect…

For now, though, he would enjoy it. Walking alone at night on the lighted streets of the city was one pleasure he'd had ever since he was in high school and he was more than in need to do that at that very moment, to wash away all those rotten memories of his time dating that red-haired daughter of some enterprise.

As he was walking pass the tens of shops opened 24/7 for "his delight", he got startled by a sudden vibration in the back pocket of his pants. He got his phone out, irritated at whoever dared to call him in the middle of the night, and his expectations were thoroughly met the moment he saw the one calling.

"Incoming call: Narutard." God, he really couldn't take a break. He waited a few seconds to think it through but, in the end, he slid his finger over the red-phone icon on his screen, cancelling the call. He put it on silent seconds afterwards.

"Will you look at this bastard rejecting my call!" a voice ringed from behind him, making him turn around abruptly and stretch a muscle in the neck.

"Argh, what's up, dobe?" Sasuke said, massaging the sore spot under his jaw. He looked at his blond-haired friend and noticed other four of his infamous friends gathering around him.

_'Great.'_

"What's with the scowl, my friend? Aren't you happy to see your buddies around?"

"Go away. Leave me alone."

"Oh, the love… Can you feel it, guys? Burning so passionately under that hard, icy cover?" Naruto said, entering his infamous theatrical self of all.

"We sure do," the guys laughed, some of them plastering evil smirks on their thin lips.

"Now, now, Sasuke, you can't avoid us this time. We've set our eyes on a new club that just opened just a few blocks away from here and we need the whole gang to test it out," Kiba said, fixating him with an expecting gaze. Now all four of them were looking at him intently, not once closing their eyes, that's how put they were into bringing Sasuke along.

Sasuke looked back at them and sighed deeply, in the end coming to the only decision possible.

"No."

"Did I hear a yes?"

"No you didn't."

"Yes I did! Oh, look at him all eager to spend some time with us! Come on, guys! Let's hurry!" and our poor raven-haired fellow didn't even have time to respond that he was practically dragged to the said newly-opened club.

The music was blasting and they could barely see anything through the thick cigar smoke floating daringly in the air. The colourful flashing lights and the confusing darkness that appeared all of a sudden could fool one into believing that everyone was free to dance without worrying about how they look. Big mistake, unfortunately. Clubs, especially the night ones, were full of people with eyes genetically modified to see in the dark and judge every single bit of you. All of our boys knew that old trick so they went directly to the bar, chanting their gloria in excelsis towards their best friend, the alcohol, avoiding the main groups on the floor, being afraid they wold get sucked in and get ill with that infamous tremor called dancing. Seeing the one serving the drinks, though, they all suddenly got interested in what a bartender's uniform looked like. The one serving was one of the finest specimens of the female kind, with scarlet hair flowing in waves over a small, elegant frame, with big, black eyes shining daringly in the light and with heart-shaped lips meticulously painted in the sweetest shade of pale pink known on earth. Only Sasuke was finding it hard to be attracted to her, seeing how he barely escaped a relationship with a girl looking very much like her.

"Well, hello there," Kiba said to the bartender, a smug expression set on his face, "I'm a thief and I'm here to steal your heart."

The guys in the back could barely keep themselves from bursting out laughing, seeing the poor girl cringe at the greasy attempt to flirt with her.

"Oh, come on, Kiba! Even I can do better than that!" Naruto said, getting closer to the counter. He leaned forward, looking her deep in the eyes, the girl already hypnotized by his intense cerulean gaze.

"Excuse me, I think you have something in your eye. Nope, it's just a sparkle."

"Ooooohhhh! So cheesyyyy!" the guys said in the back, biting their lips in both disgust and in hopes of stopping themselves from getting a fine for laughing too hard in public.

"Oh, really? Don't think you can do any better! Neji, you try it!".

Everyone turned around and started at the quiet Hyuuga, who was literally motionless.

"I lost my teddy bear. Can I cuddle with you?"

"Oh my God, I'm scarred for life!" Naruto started screaming, twitching uncontrollably.

"Shikamaru, your turn!"

"Troublesome…", their pineapple-haired friend mumbled, thinking deeply of a proper pick-up line to say.

"Hurry up!"

"Okay, okay! Do…do you believe in love at first sight or do you want me to walk by again?".

"Shika-kun! That was so cute!" Kiba said in a girly voice, hanging himself off his friend's neck.

"Isn't he, sunsh..?Oh, where did she go?" he said confused, looking for the bartender who had disappeared in thin air.

Five drinks were on the counter and one small note under one of them. Kiba picked it up and looked at it closely.

"F…U…C… Well, that's not nice! Guys, one shot!"

"One shot!"

* * *

"I hope you are well now, Haruno-san!" her co-workers waved at her as she was finally leaving her office.

_'Will you look at that?... It's ironical how we befriended only when I started crying.'_

She turned the corner to the building of her company in a slow pace, taking her time before reaching one empty apartment a few streets away. She felt really pitiful. She was one of those people to take low blows fully, one of those people who were affected even by the slightest twists in life. It was really unfair how the world attacked so strongly the ones that were light-hearted , how only the strong one could face reality properly.

_'What's the point of living, then?...'_

"Oh, shit!" she said, stopping in her tracks, "I'm getting weird thoughts again! I should call In… but I shouldn't, really. I mean look at the time!"

She bit her lip, hesitating at the thought. It was already past midnight and she knew Ino had other kind of plans. On weekends. At night.

"Ah, screw it, it's an emergency!" and she shuffled through her contacts and pressed hard on Ino's profile.

Few minutes after, adoorbell rang powerfully in the hallway of her apartment, making her rush towards the entrance with the speed of lightning. She opened the door to the wall with one of her rare, sincere smiles colouring her bright expression.

"Ino!"

"Spill it out. NOW."

Sakura's smile faltered, only to be replaced by an even brighter one in the end.

_'She's pulling off one of her masks,'_ Ino thought to herself,_' this is bad.'_

Her pink-haired friend looked at her happily, her Cheshire smile passing her tiny little ears, smile which didn't really reach the eyes. The amount of time it took for Ino to settle for a plan in her head to make her best friend happy again was less than a second, as what heals soul wounds better than anything else? She smiled back at the rosette, a mischievous tug at her lips giving out her plans for that night.

~_Two hours later~_

" _Toniiiiiiight, wee aaaare youuunngg"_ the lyrics could be heard on the whole tenth floor of the apartment building, the same floor on which two girls decided to get drunk.

"_So I set the world on_… Shit, I think I'm gonna throw up!" Ino said politely right before she emptied her insides in the trashcan. The toilet seemed so far away at that moment…

"Oh, oh! I got another one! _Shots shots shots shots shots shots_!"

"_Shots shots shots shots shots, everybody! Shots…_ What is the rest of the song?" the two looked at each other totally confused.

"I don't know…" Sakura said and after a moment of silence, they both burst out laughing, training their heart and lungs to resist the longest time without oxygen.

"_Lonelyyy, I'm Mr. Lonelyyy, I have nobodyyy, foor my hoooowwwwwnnaahahahahh.._" the two ladies started singing and crying at the same time.

Drinking is hard, indeed.

"Yo, we should have some fun." Ino said all of a sudden, driven by a sudden urge to laugh at others. Sakura looked at her with squinted eyes, both because she couldn't guess what Ino was thinking and because she was seeing everything in double.

"Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?..."

"Damn right you're thinking what you think I thin…bah, whatever,you're right!"

A mischievous grin spread widely on both their faces as they were thinking about their next unfortunate prey. I pity that human being, really…

* * *

"Oh, there you go, Kiba! Missed a step again!" Naruto said while he and Sasuke were trying to carry Kiba out of the club, him dead drunk in their arms. All of them were a little light on their feet, but it was indeed Kiba who couldn't manage alcohol at all.

"Werhshourdgohtomyplaceee", Kiba said half asleep, leaning on the two other guys with his full weight.

"What'he say?"

"I think he said we should go to his place…" Shikamaru decrypted for them, him walking on the street with his eyes closed and legs dragging lazily behind him.

"Let's go,'ttebayo!" Naruto shouted in excitement only to get a not so friendly flick to his head coming from the young Hyuuga.

"Dobe, you're drunk. Shut up!"  
"Oooooh, Sasuke-temeee! You're no fun…"

Upon reaching Kiba's apartment, they discarded his limp body on the sofa in the living room and settled for a few beers at two o'clock in the morning. After their partying hard in the club, now they were literally lifeless, only able to hold their beers to give them further energy. They looked nostalgic, melancholic even, all of them fixating blank stares on the most random things in the room: Shikamaru was looking at his bottle, Sasuke at a plant, while Naruto was almost tearing up looking at the remote on the coffee table in front of him.

"Let's play something!" Naruto said all of a sudden, respecting his role as the main party maker in the group. "Let's play truth or dare!"

"That's a girls' game, dude…"

"Okay, let's play only Dare, then!" he said, his smirk getting wider and wider as he saw even Kiba's half dead body react to the new provocation.

"…No passing allowed."

"And also no throwing ourselves out the window. The last time didn't go that well…"

"Cool! We're set. Get in a circle!" Kiba said, all full of energy the moment he heard he actually had the opportunity to make the guys do all the weird stuff he could think of. He put one of the multiple empty beer bottles in the middle and spun it powerfully, in the end, its mouth stopping in front of no other than himself.

"Yesss! Now Kiba, let us think about your dare," the guys said and gathered in a tight circle to decide their friend's fate. After some debating going on, they soon reached a plausible conclusion and turned around, all serious and stiff.

"Dear Kiba, we now dare you to take off your shoe and suck on one of your toes. If you are unable to suck on your own toe, you must suck on all of the other players' toes."

"Eww, no way!" he said and bent forwards as fast as lightning, took off his shoes and socks and sucked on his toes like a new born baby.

The others started at him with wide eyes, their faces becoming pale at the sight.

"I forgot he was so flexible…".

"Okay! Let's spin it again!" Kiba said after hydrating intensely the skin on his toes.

This time round it was Shikamaru's turn and as soon the bottle stopped his way, the guys immediately came to an agreement regarding his most needed dare.

"Shikamaru, you shall take an item of food from the refrigerator and kiss it passionately for more than 90 seconds." Our poor pineapple-haired guy almost dropped his bored mask at the news, but he resisted the urge to do so and, in exchange, went to the fridge and picked a bar of chocolate. Kissing it for 90 seconds was nothing abnormal so they passed him easily.

"Man, that was easy. Imagine if you would have picked a vegetable or a fruit. All of them seem dirty when you smudge your lips on them."

The bottle was spun once again and, this time, it was Sasuke to get the final dare. The guys all gathered around and thought about which dare would be the best for him.

"Didn't he just break up with his girlfriend? Let's make him do something like, I don't know, kiss a girl for 10 seconds or put him to hook up with one."

"Nah, that's way too obvious. Plus, it's quite boring, all the girls are after him anyways, it would be too easy for him", Naruto whispered, deep in thought. A few seconds later, though, his wrinkled forehead smoothened in realisation and you could have literally seen a light bulb coming to life above his head.

"I know!" he said in a whisper, totally excited at his new discovery, "let's make him poke one of our old teachers. That would turn out interesting!..."

* * *

"_Connecting…_

_Connected! We are waiting for a stranger!_

_Say hello to the stranger!_

_Stranger: hi_

_Me: Hello_

_Stranger: me m. u?_

_Me: f_

_Stranger: how old?_

_Me: 21_

_Stranger: good, I'm 21 too_

_Me: Where u from? "_

"Why the heck are you talking like that?" Sakura asked, not understanding the code in which her friend was talking to that supposed stranger.

"Let it be! It gets interesting from here!"

"_Stranger: US, u?_

_Me: me too_

_Stranger: NYC, u?_

_Me: Sorry, LA._

_Stranger: Maybe we'll meet one day._

_Me; Maybe _

_Stranger: So, are you horny?"_

" . Hell" Sakura said, staring blankly at her PC's screen.

"I told ya they're crazy…"

"_Me: Yes"_

"INO!"

"Wait for it!"

"_Stranger: what bra size do you wear?_

_Me: D_

_Stranger: Nicee. Do you like touching yourself?_

_Me: I'm doing it right now."_

"You're sick, Ino, you're totally sick."

"Oh, give me a break, this is gonna be fun."

_Stranger: Are you enjoying yourself?_

_Me: Oh, I can't do that, sorry_

_Stranger:… Why not?_

_Me: I don't have one_

_..._

_Stranger: What? What don't you have?_

_Me: A chupacabra. It ran away with my genitalia long ago so I have none left. They looked like a goat's and I guess that's why it happened._

_Stranger has logged out. "_

The two girls where shedding tears of joy as they were laughing their asses off at Monsieur "Stranger"'s reaction.

"Oh my God, Ino, you killed me!" Sakura cried, her abdomen hurting so much she could barely stand up.

"I know, right? I used to be really bored in college until these sweet, horny boys cheered me up! Ah, it feels good to laugh at them again…"

The two stood quiet for a moment, the silence only lasting until their gazes finally met.

"Wanna do it again?"

"Yesss!" Sakura said in her overly sexy voice, bringing laughter to both of them.

As Ino was scrolling down the list of dating sites, though, something interesting caught her eye.

"Oh, what's this?..."

* * *

"Why is your Internet so slow, man? Change your router, for crying out loud!" Naruto complained, totally frustrated for having to wait for the network page to load. As soon as the page appeared, the five boys hurried to see who they were going to choose to poke using Uchiha's profile. As they were again waiting for the page to load, an advertisement appeared in the left corner of their window. They would have brushed it off had it not been for the dare.

"Well, well, well! What do we have here?"

* * *

" What?..." Ino said out loud, contemplating at the whole meaning of it. Both of the girls looked slightly baffled at the idea but it didn't take Ino too much to realise what that actually meant.

"Sakura, let's make you a profile."

"What?! No, don't even think of it!"

"But why nooot?... Do it for me, pleaaaasee!" Ino said cutely, pulling her forever working puppy eyes on her pink-haired friend.

"… No."

"If you don't let me, I will tell your mother the reason you didn't reach home the night after Izuka's party in 10th grade."

"So what is this site about?" Sakura said, suddenly becoming interested in the whole processes.

"God, you never change…" Ino said, looking closely at the rosette's face and in the end, turning her gaze towards the screen. "It seems to be some sort of dating site where you can hire or, as they say,  
"rent" men for a certain amount of time."

"Ewww, is this even legal?!" Sakura said, outraged at the idea, but she immediately shut up the moment she saw her friend's deathly stare.

"Never mind."

"Good girl, Sakura. Now," Ino said, opening the registering page, "what should we call you?"

"What do you mean what? My name, of course!"

"Uh, whatever, I'll do what you want…"

* * *

"Men…for…rent? "Here you can rent men for certain amount of time without worry. Visit your town and see all the offers!"… Guys," Naruto said, overly dramatic, "We've found a treasure." He turned around and went to Sasuke to wake him up, who had fallen asleep in the way too long process.

"Sasuke," Naruto said, trying to keep a straight face, " we dare you to become a men for rental."

…

"No."

"I'm sorry Sasuke, but this is an ultimate dare. You can't back down from it."

"I don't care."

"If you won't, I'll show every person you know your beloved photos since you were 5 years old and cutely dressed like a little girl."

Shoot. Again with those photos.

_'I'll find those pictures one day, and when I do...'._

"…Deal."

"Yesss!"

* * *

Profile: Complete

"Oh, there you go! Now let's find some hotties here in town."

"Ino, I really don't think this is a good idea…"

"Shush it, Sakura. I promise you it isn't that much of a thing. Just…try it this one time."

"...Okay, I trust you.".

Ino threw her a baffled look. ""You do?", eyes puppifying at her friend's confession.

"Don't flater yourself."

* * *

_Name: Uchiha Sasuke._

_Age: 21_

_Place: Konoha_

Picture…

"Sasuke, smile!" Kiba said and took a flashy photo of one grumpy Sasuke.

_Picture _

_Profile: Complete._

"Now, let the offers come."

* * *

"Oh, damn, there isn't much to choose from in Konoha…" Ino said, disappointed with the list of boys in front of her.

"Yeah, I guess we should give up.." Sakura said with fake sadness dripping from her words.

"Nah ah, you're not fooling me, young lady! Look at this one and tell me he isn't hot as hell! What is his name? Uchiha… Uchiha Sasuke?"

* * *

"Oh, look, Sasuke-teme, you already got a request. Let's see. Haruno Sakura. 21 years old. Living in Konoha. Green eyes. Pink hair? Well, she sure is unique!"

* * *

"_Your request has been accepted."_

* * *

P.S: I hope you guys will enjoy this story as much as I do writing it. Don't forget to leave your thoughts in the review section, they always do me good :)


	2. Chapter 2

Men for Rent

~chapter 2~

Again, no Naruto-owner around here. But I guess you already knew that…

* * *

"_The request has been accepted."_

"NO!", Sakura shrieked, punching the shut-down button in a blur. The screen had never been so black in its whole existence.

"What the hell, Sak, we were almost there!" Ino shouted, backing away from what seemed like one fuming computer. "A-and…what's with the whole punching around to freaking shut down the poor machine? I thought you at least knew how to do it properly by now!". The pink-haired scared her at times with her buckled up strength. It got enormous out of nothing.

"I freaked out," the rosette said sheepishly, feeling sorry for her tech pal. "Well, have I thought the request was going to be accepted? Nooo. Have I acted on impulse? Yes. Have-".

"-you lost your freaking mind? Yes," her blonde friend answered for her. "Did you even get to see the dude? Piece of art, darling, a hundred times better than your David, booby-avid."

Sakura gave her a look that explained a sudden internal need to bark at the overly sincere blonde, but she held it in. "And when have you graced him with such a pleasant, truly suggestive title? I do not remember it as vividly as supposed to. Would you mind me asking of its meaning?"

Shoot, shoot, she was getting polite and overly Georgian. Getting angry much, damn.

"Oh, please! I presume when he read that you're supposed to look the person in the eyes when talking to her, he thought it was the other pair of eyes, down the shirt," Ino said, frowning deeply. "He was not worth it, Sak, and you … probably still don't know it, since you're still gloomy about it, but it's true." She was planning on going all out, no cushioning her words.

The blonde's features softened, though, when seeing her friend let her guard down, together with a mask she had had on since the beginning. The heartbroken girl finally sat down after getting all worked up at the comments and stood there silently. No tears, no sighs, no pitiful slouching. She was just…there. Ino slowly got closer to her, expecting any moment for her to give in. It was time, really.

"You're right," Sakura suddenly said, the determined look on her face taking her friend by surprise.

"Sakura, you don't-".

"Yes, I have to," she said. "I've been clinging on this man for far too long of a time. There's no other choice than to ignore the matter entirely now. I'm thankful that I got to care about him so much as to start crying because of it. Who would have thought I would ever get to do that, right?" the rosette smiled cheekily, though not daring to look Ino in the eyes.

"Counting days, I doubt I've had more than a handful fairly happy because of him, so no harm done," Sakura said not at all convincingly, getting up and walking towards her next thing to empty besides her tear ducts: the fridge.

"Just you wait. She'll be coming back crying all over the place, demanding more ice cream than her body can handle. She's so damn bad at forgetting…" Ino whispered under her breath, her words followed by a prolonged sigh she had been holding in.

Yet Sakura didn't do such thing. Actually, the breakup suddenly turned into a miracle focus pill, making her able to concentrate enough to even finish her work project in the few hours of her weekend…the work being done on the laptop, of course. She was scared to even touch the old man.

She didn't know how she made that project thing happen since, even though, on the outside, she seemed tranquil, her mind was racing at the speed of light and in one, predictable direction only.

'_Oh my god, what am I supposed to do at work when I meet him? Should I ignore him? No, not an option, it will look like I'm affected. Should I be all friendly and act stupid? Cut that, it will be hard for me not to totally slap him in the pan…. Hmm, should I slap him?... Aaargh, such a nice scenario, but no, I'll stay put.'_

She kept on making up various setups in her mind, from the most unfavorable ones to the ones in which she would be kicking his freaking ass and not get arrested for it.

"I know. I shall be a lady," Sakura smiled to herself, seeing it as the only viable choice she could make. She'd always enjoyed reading stories of old-school mannered people, with their sarcasm-dripping politeness and genteel gestures towards the others and, to her, that looked like thee only likable possibility. There was only one problem, though.

How…to…be…a…lady. Enter.

She had noooo idea what she was supposed to do, but the Internet did, so she wasn't going to just stay there and not get some useful instructions from her personal adviser/matchmaker/entertainer.

"Oh, this one's with pictures!"

She opened the page and scrolled through the content carefully like a good researcher she was. Behold, she was about to take notes.

"Let's see, let's see. It says to have a good posture. Damn, that's one thing on the list I already don't have. What else… Be respectful to others? Well, it depends. Be charming? Huh, you should just hear my "How you doing?", it works every time. Now, don't use profanity, overeat or drink excessively. Whaaat? No way, nuh-uh, this is too much," she said, closing the window altogether. She let herself sink in her chair, the leather that was stuck to her skin not letting her fall off completely.

"Gosh, this is useless."

She just had to do it in her own way somehow.

* * *

The birds were singing, the traffic was on and the sun was shining brightly enough to blind every driver on the road the next morning. She was one of the happy people to commute to work by foot, seeing how it was barely five minutes from her place and her path was straight through the park, now in full bloom. Her steps were light, but not due to some sort of unreasonable happiness going on: her squeaky new shoes screamed blisters from a mile away and she was not that ready to face some freakish red spots on her ankle, so she was taking them easily. Reaching the firm, she entered the monstrous doors and showed her ID to the ever-smiling guard at the front desk, whose name she had yet to learn.

She went straight to the vending machine to get the one-dollar deliciousness of a coffee she always had in the morning. That drink was, for her, like a match made in Heaven. It was like a paradox, really.

As she was walking down the hallway, she suddenly stopped in her tracks, admiring the view in front of her.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? The pinkinette has reunited with her lost love."

Sakura was staring straight at her ex-boyfriend when her eyes caught the silhouette of the person staring at them in the back.

"I'll go now," she said. "Your side chick is here," and she turned around, clicking her shoes as she walked away confidently. She would have made one hell of an exit if it wasn't for her coworker's sudden appearance at the entrance.

She got on the lift, only one more person sharing it with her.

Staring at doors slowly closing, Sakura could only play and replay the conversation she had just had with David in the hall.

"_Saku, wait up," David said, lightly touching her elbow from behind. He knew any kind of twirls and wrist grabs would make the matter worse. _

"_Sir, I would prefer you calling me in a more formal way, giving the environment. What is that y-"._

"_I'm sorry, Sakura. I…made a mistake."_

'_**Oh, no, he didn't.'**_

"_Oh, puh-lease! It was a choice, dear, no one forced you to stick your tongue down her throat. Plus, don't get started on the whole regretting thing, cause it's pretty much clear already that you don't."_

_She was fuming. She had promised herself to keep her chill, but he was being so…cliché, so typical. Nothing different to him compared to the other millions of jerks in the world._

"_What I want is not an apology, David, but a reason."_

"_What?"_

"_Why did you do it, David? Was I not as interesting as she is? Was I too boring for you? Maybe I should have dressed more lightly, you know, like just leave the house without pants, cause that would have surely caught your attention."_

"_Sakura, it's not you, it's me."_

"_Just stop with the movie lines already. Or is it that hard for you to admit to how superficial your actual motives were? Should I spell my question for you, David? Cause you don't really seem to comprehend spoken words as much as I thought you did." Ouch, maybe a bit too rough for her to say that._

_His face hardened, the pleading look now replaced by one betraying major conflicts of some interests._

"_I didn't feel anything, Sakura," he said seriously, his tone making her silent in her rambling. _

"_There was no spark, no response whatsoever from your side. You never made our relationship public, you were always so secretive when it came to me. Do you think I didn't notice? The shame on your face every time someone close to you saw us together?""_

'_**It wasn't shame, David…'**_

"… _And you are sooo self-conscious!"_

_Her eyes widened ever so slightly, the light in them diminishing with the thought. Who would have thought…?_

"_I'm sorry, Sakura, but you insisted on me saying all this."_

'_**Yes, yes she did. How foolish.'**_

"_Well, thanks for the introduction to my personal weaknesses. How pleasant of you to poke me right where it hurts. And I thought you, of all, people, were different…"_

'_**Huh, now you're all dramatic with movie-taken lines. Yet they are a perfect match in this context.'**_

_Sakura was staring straight at her ex-boyfriend when her eyes caught the silhouette of the person staring at them in the back._

"_I'll go now," she said. "Your side chick is here."_

And that was it. A three-year chapter of her life was now completely over and she didn't know if she should be relieved about it or not. Only time would tell in the end.

She was utterly spaced-out, her thoughts vaguely interrupted from time to time by a warm, musky aroma scenting up the air.

'_What is it?'_

By the time she realized who the owner of such subtle perfumes was, the doors had opened, her eyes only managing to catch a tall breadth of satin blackness exiting the lift. The doors, though, shut as soon as this whole thing happened and she was back to her own thoughts now, forgetting altogether about her illusory lift companion.

* * *

It was a nice day for him altogether. The hangover from last night's preoccupations with his retarded friends was barely noticeable, that is if he ignored completely a peeking headache, doubled by a throbbing vein on his temple. The latter had nothing to do with his beloved alcohol, but more so with the sudden surge of annoyance he felt when he was plainly rejected by the website chick from last night. Sure, he was relieved he didn't have to go through with it and get ordered around by some unknown, needy being that would have no other choice but to pay actual people to be around her. Horrendous context, indeed, yet why was he even bothered by it?

His mind wasn't one to race, trapped contemplating on the same subject, so he dismissed any lingering thoughts he had on the matter.

"Get myself rented… Hah, nice one," he whispered, shifting uncomfortably as the car stopped for him to get off. He was barely on time to attend some meeting he was now going to impromptu due to his innocent habit of keeping his phone on silent right when his assistant decides to inform him on things.

Steps swift in his usual suit-and-tie attire, Sasuke marched towards the entrance, his squad of beasts, ready to protect him from flies and all, right behind him. Although confident in appearance, he entered the building a bit hesitatingly, trying to remember some vital details about it.

'_Low-profit company. Will go bankrupt if not sold. Worth trying to cooperate with since they've been on the market for quite a while. Want to keep the whole deal a secret, so no tam-tam has to happen or be seen.'_

Easier said than done with a front line of gossiping workers which he had to pierce through from the very beginning. They eyed him curiously, soundless words leaving lips that were kept hidden behind hands not so discreetly raised.

''Perfect…'' he said. They hadn't seemed to figure out that the tall broody figures positioning themselves down the hallway were his very own bodyguards, so he raised his hand, giving them a silent command to just keep an eye without following him around too closely.

He got in the empty lift, ready to enjoy what seemed like a sole ride on it when a pinkish blur passed the doors right before closing.

The lady, with the company ID card loosely put around her neck, seemed to have an aura quite opposite to her hair color: dark and heavy.

'_Is it a thing nowadays with the whole pinkish locks?'_

She was obviously out of it as if she was trying to clarify who knows what feelings and she was a fun scene to gaze at. Her expression, although one of sadness at first, kept changing, her going mindlessly through the various shifts in her soul making her little button nose wrinkle in disgust or annoyance.

He looked at her even more curiously when she didn't seem to notice the doors opening at the floor she had pressed the button for. He flashed a smirk before getting off on his floor and he couldn't help throwing a slight glance mid-walk to see what the eyes of such a strange beholder would look like. The doors were all closed, though, before he could get a proper look at her.

* * *

"Sakura-san, are you listening to me?"

_'Boom, you're out of it.'_

"Huh?... Yes, Shino-san, all here."

"I want you to represent us to…."

'_Why did he call me in his office? Have I done something wrong? It's like in school all over again, isn't it? Good job, Sak, you've blown this one up as well…What is he even talking about? Am I just stupid or am I genuinely unable to understand him? Look at his lips moving. It's like he's trying to tell me something really important, giving his gaze. Oh, he's just stopped talking. Shoot, shoot!'_

Aburame Shino was a very patient man in general. His pets required him to be so on a daily basis. Haruno Sakura, though, had her moments of mental paralysis which, even though rare, were enough to get him near outbursts of annoyance. She was a smart gal, nonetheless, and her sense of responsibility was what made him decide on her to be in such an important position in the company. Her stubborn self was also one of the reasons behind his choice, if he was to be honest though.

If it wasn't for the animosity he had towards the future CEO they were to have, he would have gladly offered himself as sacrifice for the entire deal, but it wasn't meant to be. Pity.

"Represent? M-me? Where?" said Sakura, finally comprehending the one word she had been attentive enough to hear.

"You'll represent our headquarters at the arrival of Mister Uchiha, whom you are to guide through the procedures, work development and other aspects that are unfamiliar to him." Shino finished his statement briefly, waiting for the facts to sink in.

"Mister Uchiha? As in someone related to the guys owning Uchiha Inc.?"

'_Where have I heard this name before?...'_

"Pretty much the owner, Sakura-san."

The face she made that very moment would have gone really well with a gong ringing in the background as her deadpanned look explained every little thing she was feeling.

…

"So am I being promoted?"

"What?..."

"This position seems like a really important one. Why me?"

'_What am I supposed to say? That everyone is freaking scared of dealing with the guy?'_

"They…requested for you to do the job."

Shit.

"Oh…". Well, she didn't expect that to be the reason. "Then I suppose I can't refuse, can I?"

'_We're saved.'_

"Good. You are to meet him at 10 am in the EEO's office."

" 10 a- That's like in five minutes! Excuse me, Shino-san, I have a meeting to attend," she said, flying off.

Seeing her power-walking towards the lift, Shino couldn't help but smirk at her antics. She wasn't your usual perfect employee, many found her weak, with no great ambitions in her past or future, but he knew better. It had become clearer day by day that there was an incredible power of will to her and he wasn't going to let that slide even the least bit.

She was his project now.

* * *

She was now making slight eye contact with the secretary, expecting her to lead her to the office. She needed her, she couldn't go there all alone. It was like a freaking tiger's den.

"I'm Haruno Sakura. I'm here to attend the 10 o'clock meeting," she said, showing her ID.

"Yes, follow me."

The secretary clicked her heels towards the door and Sakura followed right behind her, trying to compensate years of sitting on a chair by straightening her back and squaring her shoulders in a most obvious way.

"Haruno Sakura, sir," and Sakura was making her very first step in an executive's office.

"Good morning, sir," she said politely, making a formal bow in front of the one seemingly sitting at the desk. After regaining her composure, she threw a slight glance around the room, noticing the presence of another person that was staring down the window at the million dollar view.

"Ah, Haruno-san. Come here, sit," the desk owner said warmly, pointing at a chair strategically placed in front of him. She sat down, her muscles all tight in trying to appear at least normal in the way she was sitting. Her usual way of using a chair was out of question in that situation.

"Has Aburame-san briefed you on the matter?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good, good. After our discussion, please remember to take a report I had my secretary prepare in order to make your job a tad easier. It should be all ready by now."

"Of course," Sakura said, throwing a glance towards the figure planted at the window.

The EEO got the message and suddenly got up.

"Well then, I shall introduce you to Mr. Sasuke Uchiha, Uchiha Inc. CEO, who is willing to help us in a delicate matter of the company. Uchiha-san, this is Haruno Sakura, employee of ours who will be helping you in every matter directly related to the IT department she is representing," he said, speaking towards the man that was now turning around to complete the whole introduction.

"Haruno-san," his voice rang, bowing slightly to her.

"Uchiha-san," she answered, bowing in exchange of his greeting.

Seconds later their eyes met and after further seconds of confusion, it downed to them who they were both facing at the moment.

'_You…'_

'_You…'_

* * *

There's the second chapter, guys. Hope you enjoyed this bit of the story and don't forget to review!


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